Montreal Canadiens at Nashville Predators

The Canadiens fell at Dallas on Tuesday, 3-1, for their fourth loss in a row (0-3-1). It was the ninth time this season that Montreal was limited to no more than one goal. No other team has produced more than seven such games.

With four goals in seven power-play opportunities over their last two games, the Predators now lead the league with a gaudy power-play percentage of 40.5 at home. Nashville's conversion rate is just 10.9 percent on the road.

The Canadiens won both meetings with Nashville last season by identical 2-1 scores. Those results continued the closely fought nature of the series in recent years, as eight of their nine clashes have been decided by a single goal since the beginning of 2011-12.

Brendan Gallagher scored in the second period on Tuesday for Montreal's only goal over its last two games. Gallagher tops the Canadiens with nine goals this season, nearly matching his total for all of 2016-17 (10).

Mattias Ekholm extended his career-long goal scoring streak to four games on Monday. That matches the longest streak ever by a Predators defenseman, previously accomplished by Shea Weber between 4/12/2014 and 10/11/2014 (spanned seasons).

Cody McLeod, who dropped the gloves just 2:30 into Monday's game against Winnipeg, currently leads the league with 31 penalty minutes in the opening period. McLeod's 304 penalty minutes in the first period since 2013-14 are 84 more than any other player (Derek Dorsett, 220).

NASHVILLE -- When the Nashville Predators traded for Kyle Turris on Nov. 5 as part of a three-way deal with Ottawa and Colorado, they landed the No. 2 center they've long sought behind Ryan Johansen.

It turns out that Nashville made another move that flew under the radar. They put winger Kevin Fiala on Turris' line, and Fiala is suddenly one of the most dangerous players on a team full of them.

Since the Turris trade, Fiala has two goals and three assists in five games, potting a goal and adding a helper in Monday night's 5-3 decision over Winnipeg. Fiala looks to continue his recent surge Wednesday night when the Predators host the Montreal Canadiens at Bridgestone Arena.

Watching Fiala struggle through most of the first month of the season, it was easy to forget that he was coming into his own last spring. Fiala's overtime goal in Game 3 essentially served as last rites for Chicago in Nashville's first round Western Conference sweep, but his playoff run ended with a broken leg in Game 1 of the Western semis in St. Louis.

Whether it took Fiala a month to find that form, or that the addition of Turris brought out his best play, there's no question an explosive offense has gotten even deeper.

"We are changing our mindset and playing more offense," Fiala said. "We are attacking the game and that's what we're doing now to find success."

The Predators (12-6-2) figure to find more success in this one. Montreal (8-12-2) has struggled in every facet of the game in coach Claude Julien's first full season, and key injuries haven't helped a thin roster.

All-star goalie Carey Price has been out with a lower-body injury since Nov. 2, and wasn't playing that well when he was in there. What's more, the Canadiens scratched No. 1 defenseman Shea Weber because of a lower-body injury Tuesday night, and it's not known if he'll be able to play against his former team Wednesday night.

Charlie Lindgren has played well for the most part in Price's stead, but he couldn't keep Montreal from a season-long bugaboo in Tuesday night's 3-1 loss at Dallas. The Habs coughed up two goals in 59 seconds late in the second period, the ninth time in 22 games they've allowed two goals in less than a minute.

"When you get scored on, the biggest thing you got to do is push back," Julien said. "Right now, that's not happening."

Lindgren (3-4-1, 2.43, .924) or Antti Niemi, who has played in only one game in relief of Lindgren, could get the start. Or it could be Price in a return to the roster. Regardless, Montreal faces a tall order against Nashville, which has scored 37 goals in its last eight games.

"We've played well offensively, and at times, we've really been humming in the offensive zone," Predators coach Peter Laviolette said. "We've done some good things."

Pekka Rinne (11-3-2, 2.48, .921) figures to get the call in net for Nashville. Rinne made 32 saves Monday night to garner his sixth win in seven matches.